Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week |
Mother nature disrupts play at Moth Worlds |
Marlow Ropes and Clipper Round the World Yacht Race |
Signal 8 joins FAST40+ Class for Lendy Cowes Week |
Solo sailor Lisa Blair due in Albany after historic Antarctic circumnavigation |
Musto At Lendy Cowes Week |
Industry News |
Featured Brokerage
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Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week
Photo by Max Ranchi. Click on image for photo gallery.
In a moderate SSE'ly breeze that built to 16kts during the afternoon there were two different race winners, but Zennstrom's team retained a solid consistency. Provezza won the first race starting smartly off the left, pin end of the start line and using the left. Azzurra atoned for a costly penalty turn at the first mark by following up with a victory in the second contest, taking them up to second overall.
In both windward-leewards today, the early race leaders were able to break away and build their margin. In second position through both races, Ran Racing were variously in attack and defence modes throughout the day, but tactician Ado Stead and strategist Beashel modulated their game, looking comfortable in Race 2, although Ran were sucked backwards to defend against the pack's advances in Race 3.
Azzurra lie second overall on the regatta standings, but tactician Vasco Vascotto emphasised: "It is always about the overall, we have said that from the start of the season. And from that point of view, today was a good day, putting points on Quantum Racing and Platoon. And so as well in the first race I was happier with the way that we fought back from the back to take three points on Platoon."
Standings after three races.
1. Ran Racing (Niklas Zennstrom, SWE), (1,2,2) 5 pts
2. Azzurra (Family Roemmers, ITA/ARG), (3,6,1) 10 pts
3. Provezza (Ergin Imre, TUR) (6,1,7) 14 pts
4. Quantum Racing (Doug DeVos, USA), (4,4,6) 14 pts
5. Platoon (Harm Muller-Spreer, GER), (5,9,3) 14 pts
6. Bronenosec (Vladimir Liubomirov, RUS), (7,5,5) 17 pts
7. Alegre (Andrés Soriano GBR/USA) (2,8,9) 19 pts
8. Sled (Takashi Okura, USA), (8,3,8) 19 pts
9. Gladiator (Tony Langley, GBR) (9,7,4) 20 pts
Mother nature disrupts play at Moth Worlds
Even at one of the most glamorous of sailing venues sometimes mother nature intervenes. A series of summer thunderstorms caused havoc with the regular breezes on Lake Garda putting an end to any chance of racing on day one of the McDougall + McConaghy Moth Worlds.
Early on Tuesday morning for race day one, the weather was looking good. The morning Pelèr was blasting down the lake from the North with white water and clear skies. But as the first two groups of the fleet of 220 boats prepared to launch, some black clouds streamed in over the mountains threatening some wild summer thunder storm activity. The two race areas were experiencing big shifts in the breeze and anything between 2 knots and 15 knots.
The Yellow fleet did get into a start sequence but a big shift minutes before the start put and end to any chance of racing. Then a huge black thunder cloud loomed over the horizon from Riva del Garda shutting down the breeze and sending some impressive lightning displays over the lake.
Race Management had no choice but to ere on the side of caution and send the fleet home for safety reasons. Once the storms had cleared the skies cleared, the sun came out for a glorious evening but alas the breeze had shut down for the day.
The revised schedule for the Qualifying Series on Wednesday 26 July is for an early start for two groups (Red and Yellow) of 8.25am (local time). Blue and Green groups will not start before 10.00hrs (local time).
Marlow Ropes and Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
This year we are delighted to have our own Marlow ambassador on board, selected from the 110 international Round the World crew members, to report on their journey as they complete each of the 8 legs and circumnavigate the world. This will be a fascinating view of life on board and we wish the crew the very best of luck as they set sail from Liverpool on the 20th August.
Keep updated at www.marlowropes.com with our dedicated Clipper Race News hub and if you're visiting one of the many stopovers worldwide why not try our Round the World Knot Challenge display.
Signal 8 joins FAST40+ Class for Lendy Cowes Week
Signal 8. Photo by Guy Nowell. Click on image to enlarge.
Racing a mixture of tight Solent courses, and longer coastal races, Lendy Cowes Week marks the third scoring regatta of the 2017 FAST40+ Race Circuit. Sir Keith Mills' British Ker40+ Invictus, currently leads the season's championship. Stewart Whitehead's British Carkeek Mk3 Rebellion, is second, just a point ahead of the young German team, racing the Felci designed Silva Neo.
The latest edition to the FAST40+ Class is the Ker designed Signal 8, owned by Jamie McWilliam, Matt Hanning, and Patrick Pender, who are all members of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. The trio, and Signal 8, are no strangers to racing in European waters, having competed in the boat at Cowes Week and Cork Week in 2012. Signal 8 was shipped to the UK earlier this year and is undergoing final modifications by John Corby in Cowes, as directed by Ker Yacht Design.
"We had a great time in Cowes & Cork with the other Ker 40s, and then went back to race at home in Hong Kong and around Asia." commented Jamie McWilliam. "But then a few of our situations changed, so when we saw the fantastic FAST40+ Class racing at Cowes last summer, and heard about the rest of the season from Tom (Jamie's brother) who's been on Rebellion, we thought maybe that was where we should go next, and that 'FAST, and damn the rating' was the way we needed to upgrade the boat, in order to maximise fun.
So to get started, with Matt Curthoys running the project to Jason Ker's designs and McConaghy's build, we changed the keel to a lighter deeper one last summer, and extended the bowsprit to allow bigger kites. We also increased the mainsail girths about as far as we could practically go. That made the boat quite a bit quicker, but we never really got enough wind in Hong Kong to really light her up.
We pulled the trigger on the final mods we had already discussed with Jason Ker: a transom scoop and a rocker reduction. Richard Bouzaid at Doyle Sails NZ have made us some big new jibs to go with the other big gear they'd made, so we're basically as powered up as we can get.
Solo sailor Lisa Blair due in Albany after historic Antarctic circumnavigation
Queenslander Lisa Blair, who is set to make history as the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica when she arrives back on the Australian mainland today, says she is "very, very proud" of her achievements.
Blair, 32, set off from Albany in Western Australia in January in an attempt to break Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov's 2008 record for the fastest solo, unassisted and non-stop circumnavigation of Antarctica.
However, she was forced to abandon her goal when her yacht's mast snapped in rough seas near South Africa in April.
She spent two months in Cape Town repairing her boat, Climate Action Now, before resuming her journey last month.
Blair completed a full circle around Antarctica on July 21 and is expected to sail back into Princess Royal Harbour on Albany in WA's south coast this afternoon.
A strong wind warning is current for the Albany coast and has delayed Blair's expected arrival by a few hours.
Large crowds are expected to fill vantage points around the harbour to witness her return.
A representative from the World Sailing Speed Record Council will also be on hand to officiate the journey.
Perth yachtsman Jon Sanders was the first recorded person to circumnavigate Antarctica, completing two laps of the continent over 419 days in the early 1980s.
Musto At Lendy Cowes Week
THE MUSTO CUSTOMER CARE CENTRE
Damaged Musto technical sailing kit can be serviced in the brand's Customer Care Centre in Cowes Yacht Haven. If the team cannot mend your kit on-site then you'll be offered a 25% discount on any Musto purchase over £250 to replace or upgrade the item.
WEDNESDAY 2nd:
Musto Lendy Cowes Week Party: Visit the world-renowned Pier View Pub in the centre of town at 19:00. Get here at this time for free entry, free rum (courtesy of Westerhall Rum - an official Lendy Cowes week sponsor), live entertainment, a chance to meet the brand's ambassadors and more.
THURSDAY 3rd:
Triple Crown Around the Island Race: For the first time, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet will be using the Triple Crown Around the Island Race as the first part of the race's mandatory Leg 0.
FRIDAY 4th:
Don't miss Musto's Pimp My Ride competition winners training with a brand ambassador out on the Solent. And if you entered the second competition, see if it's your name that's announced as a winner straight after.
SATURDAY 5th:
The prize winners from Musto's competition will get the opportunity to tour the Vestas 11th Hour Racing VO65 as they prepare for the Rolex Fastnet Race. Enter here.
SUNDAY 6th:
The Volvo Ocean Race boats will take part in the Rolex Fastnet as a prelude to the Volvo Ocean Race 17/18. This will provide fans with an early form guide, as the teams tackle one of the most revered and feared tests in sailing. Show your support for this incredible race by picking up a piece of Musto Rolex Fastnet Race merchandise. Available from the Official Musto Merchandise Store in the Yacht Haven.
Industry News
Groupe Beneteau reported consolidated revenues of €853m for the first nine months of fiscal year 2016-17, with a strong level of business in both its Boat and Housing Divisions.
The company said results in the third quarter were driven by strong boat sales worth €343.4m for the period ended May 31, 2017 - a 20% gain year-over-year, and totalling nearly €700m for the nine months year-to-date, also an increase of 20% compared to the same period last year.
Beneteau pointed to positive sales trends in the European and American markets as the main source of gains for the boat business, boosted further by a high volume of orders from charter firms, contributing more than 3 points of growth. The French builder noted South America, Asia and the Rest of the World were also making very positive contributions to growth.
Catamarans are another part of the company's positive story, responsible for strong progress in the sailing segment which generated 46% of sales for the Boat Division through the first nine months of the year.
Notably, Beneteau announced in June that it was extending is partnership with the fractional sailing business SailTime for five years. SailTime − which has enjoyed growth of 161% since 2012 through 28 bases in the United States and six in Australia − offers Beneteau sail and power boats for both its membership and yacht ownership programs.
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High-performance yacht mast manufacturer Hall Spars recently opened a new service facility in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The move follows the 37-year old company's integration into the North Technology Group (NTG).
Strategically located in the heart of US east coast sailing, the Hall Spars service base in Rhode Island is perfectly positioned to meet the needs of existing Hall Spars clients worldwide - whose mast design records are safely held on file - as well as new customers looking for a one-stop service facility.
The Hall Spars service center opened its doors for business on May 1st and is already 100 per cent operational and will support not only the Hall US customer base but also clients from the other company entities, Hall BV in Holland and Hall New Zealand.
Leading the new facility is David Moffet, a well-known Project Manager with over 16 years of experience at Hall Spars who brings with him a wealth of knowledge and a familiar face to customers.
Together with David, Nick Turcotte brings with him 10 years of experience as a Design Engineer and Project Manager with ECsix carbon rigging and Future Fibres. Both have a wealth of knowledge covering everything from grand prix racers and super yachts to the many one designs and cruisers who trust the Hall Spars masts.
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Matthew Sheahan is the new Lendy Cowes Week Radio reporter for 2017
Sunset+Vine's Head of Performance Sailing and the producer of the World Sailing Show will join Cowes Radio's long term anchor man Simon Vigar to report live on the action afloat from the famous blue RIB throughout Lendy Cowes Week.
Matt takes over from Dick Johnson, the former voice of Cowes Week, who retired last year after a 31 year stint at the helm.
"It was Dick who gave me my first job in journalism at Yachting World 25 years ago, so I know better than most that these are big boots to fill," said Matt.
Adding to a growing list of sailing clients which includes World Sailing, Volvo Ocean Race and, of course, hot foot from covering the America's Cup for BT Sport and the BBC, Sunset+Vine are once again, the host broadcasters for Lendy Cowes Week. While reporting live on the racing, Matt will also be working with a team delivering news and digital output from the regatta throughout the week.
The coverage will be tailored to suit a variety of platforms from national news to social media and the big screens around Cowes to bring this unique event to the biggest possible audience. Lendy Cowes Week Radio 87.7fm
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Volvo Penta has signed an agreement to become the major owner of premium outboard motor manufacturer, Seven Marine, enabling the Swedish company to extend its scope of world-leading integrated propulsion systems.
The deal will broaden Volvo Penta's technology platform, offering a modular, cutting-edge solution, regardless of the energy source, to deliver the desired power in the water. Seven Marine will be able to further develop its existing innovative outboard technology to satisfy a wider range of needs for its premium and exclusive customer base. This acquisition will strengthen their combined footprint in the marine market.
Seven Marine, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA, was founded in 2010 by a team with many years' specialist experience in marine technology.
With a proven track record in delivering high performance gasoline outboards for the high-end leisure market, Seven Marine produces the most powerful outboard models in the world, running at 557 and 627 hp.
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Kelvin Hughes has been acquired by radar and IFF systems supplier HENSOLDT (formerly Airbus Defence Electronics) following an agreement by owners ECI Partners to sell its investment in the company. Completion of the transaction remains subject to regulatory clearances.
HENSOLDT comprises the security and defence electronics activities of the Airbus Group, which were spun off in 2017 and have now entered the market as a new sensor house under the brand name of HENSOLDT.
The company's flagship product is the TRS series radar system.
Core radar sensor, security and navigation products provided by Kelvin Hughes include the SharpEye advanced solid-state Doppler radar sensor.
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The RYA is delighted to announce that once again the RYA Dinghy Show, will be heading to the iconic Alexandra Palace, London for the only show in the world dedicated to all things 'dinghy'.
Taking place over the weekend of 03-04 March 2018 the show promises to be one not to be missed, with lots of new features alongside show favourites.
As well as all the new activities in store for 2018, visitors will also be able to enjoy show favourites such as live talks, interactive activities; sailing simulator and trapeze rig, as well as show favourite, the Treasure Hunt.
Tickets to the 2018 RYA Dinghy Show go on sale in October 2017. Look out for special RYA member and club offers.
Featured Brokerage
FURTIF was constructed with sophisticated techniques and software which have enabled the perfect combination of weight, length, width and waterline. She can be maneuvered short-handed. As well as being a fast performance yacht, the interior and accommodation offer great comfort when cruising.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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She was built in 2002, refitted in 2008 in New Zeeland by the current owner and brought to France in 2012. She has been optimized for the IRC racing. 2016 Rating : TCC = 1.288. Well maintained and ready to go.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
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TRIBULATIONS was designed by Nigel Irens and built with the same mould as Fujicolor (Mike Birch) and Fleury Michon IX (Philippe Poupon). Named Laiterie du Mont Saint Michel in 1987 and skippered by Olivier Moussy, she was then taken over by Olivier Kersauzon as the Esso Super Plus.
See listing details in Seahorse's RaceboatsOnly
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
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